Scandalous Again….
Two exquisite cousins must exchange identities in a scandalous deception.
Madeline de Lacy, the duchess of Magnus, prides herself on being one of the most sensible young women in England, which is why she can’t believe that, in a turn of the cards, her noble father has losthis entire estate — and her! — to a stranger. On a mission to salvage her family fortune, she changes places with her cousin and companion, sending the meeker Eleanor to confront the man who had won Madeline’s hand. Now, Madeline is free to enter the home of a notorious gambler, and pretends to be meek, humble, and competent with an iron. She is, of course, none of those things; she simply is resolved to win her family’s fortune back. Just when she thinks matters can’t get worse, she meets Gabriel Ansell, the earl of Campion, and they do. Horribly worse.Four years ago, Madeline was engaged to Gabriel, and worshipped his arrogant kisses. Now, being forced to marry a man she doesn’t know pales in comparison to the ordeal of facing Gabriel again, the man who betrayed her — Gabriel, the only man she ever loved.
I love switching place stories. They are so fun, and fun to imagine being able to step into someone else’s shoes and see the world differently. Which is exactly what happens to Dodd’s heroine in Scandalous Again.
Lady Madeline doesn’t even realized how tough life is for her cousin and companion or how she has taken for granted her position in life and the peerage. But forced to go under cover when her father would damn her with debt, she learns first hand how good she’s got it. And of course, it makes for some great comedic moments.
I was ambivalent about the hero–I normally have a soft spot for snarky types–as I was never sure why such a headstrong heroine would kowtow to the relentless verbal lashings.
So the romance bit falls a little flat, unfortunately. However, Dodd is an excellent and entertaining writer who can capture your attention and suck you into her world.
Love scenes are explicit.
One Kiss From You is the follow up…cousin Eleanor’s tale. The crown jewel of the duo of books, we see a shy spinster transform into a sultry seductress.
Trying to fill her cousin’s shoes, especially with Madeline’s new role as indentured fiance, would be lot easier without the tempting and troublemaking would be husband Remington Knight. With lots of humor and fun plot twists, Dodd makes a real juicy romance from revenge, spot switching, and some far fetched backstories.
Light romp with lots of love scenes. (read: explicit).
